Cold wat

One of the problems with the Iraq war stems from Americans believe they won the cold war through force.

Here

, I tell an American, You've been brainwashed mate. You didn't win the cold war. the USSR collapsed because it's economy failed. The Cold War was just something to scare the kiddies with, a bogeyman. There was no danger. Russia was never gonna invade anyone.
A lot of us are quite well disposed to Russia/USSR anyway. Certainly post Soviet Russia. The idea that it's aggressive is a fantasy.

Let me tell ya a little story.

I have liked Russia since I happened to be in Moscow on 19 August 1991 - just a short tourist stop-over - went down to Red Square to inspect Lenin and found it blocked by tanks. It was the coup whose failure led to the end of the USSR. I went to the Russian parliament, was lifted through the crowds and sat on the roof of a bus close to where Yelstin made his famous speech.
The crowds said something like "English journalist. Let him through." I doubt English journalists are held in as high regard these days.
The veteran Jonathan Steele of this paper is fair to the Russians. Other writers on the Guardian have their glorification-of-anyone-but the Russian biases.
When I went to the Russian embassy in Kensington recently to get a visa it was wonderfully laid back.
The single guard looked hungover and the beautiful, willowy girl in reception crossed out the little chit that stated the wrong collection day and had me thinking I would miss my flight, with a very sexy, wrist-revealing wave and sang, airily and unconcernedly, "Don't worry. Is old information." Compare this to the boot clicking, butt-clenching anal retentiveness of the US embassy presence with its huge imperial eagle in Grosvenor square and the invasiveness of US immigration procedures.
The Russians have suffered and lost. They have gone through hellfire. That sort of experience gives people perspective on life, distance.

#Americans### have not, in my opinion, which is why they are still in the narcissistic, self centred, enormously self-aggrandising period of their national development.

I like Russians. They left Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and ten other countries peacefully in 1992-93.

Now, my friend. There are tens of thousands of US troops wasting their time in bases all over Europe.

#When are you going to leave? The door is over there.

Thank you.

Russia again

As others dispute why the world war ended, I weigh in.

The end of the cold war? I think Russian economic weakness was the overwhelming factor, but the US belief otherwise has exercised a baleful foreign policy influence since. The average American thinks we won WWI, WWII, and...the cold war, giving false confidence - and gave the neocon fish sea to swim in.
The false idea that the cold war was won through armament led to flase lessons being learnt that dog America today.

It is important to remember that during the Cold War neo-cons had adamantly opposed d�tente. They didn�t believe that the US should learn to coexist with the Soviet Union, insisting instead that it could win an uncontested victory. Coexistence, they argued, implied accommodation, which would turn into appeasement, which would soon dissolve into capitulation. After the Soviet Union unexpectedly fell apart, they did not revisit, or apologise for, their overestimation of the Communist system�s resilience and strength.

On the contrary, they felt totally vindicated. Although they had been spectacularly blind-sided, they concluded that they had been brilliantly prescient.

Excessively pleased with themselves, the neo-cons drew two lessons from the collapse of Communism.

#First, threats should be eliminated, not managed.

#Second, American security is invariably enhanced by the transformation of autocracies into democracies.

That the democratic transformation of Eastern Europe was triggered not by an invasion but by the withdrawal of a foreign Russian army apparently made little impression on them. All they knew was that the threat to the US from the Communist bloc had been eliminated by the more or less successful transformation of its former members into democracies.

Yeah, Estonia

Some guy writes further in the TGA post in the Guardian that 4m Brits a year go to America but if we don't like it we can always go to Estoia.
"But while that's being considered please consider going elsewhere. I hear Estonia is lovely this time of year. Check it out."
I write back to say that:
In case what he was really saying was "Ok, if you Brit guys love Russia so much why don't you go to Estonia, where there's a war going on. New Beirut. Russian spies, infiltrators, cold war, commies coming back, burning cars, end of democracy. Ha ha. "
I can assure him that the biggest danger to Estonia's security comes from the British stagnighters who already go there in large numbers and vomit on its payments.
When I went to eastern Europe in the late 80s/early 90s it was a silent and peaceful as a large museum. Now of course it's turned into a large gogo bar/casino, attracting stormtroopers from the unmarried ranks of Middle England.
It's ironic that the Estonians worry about the Russians, Russian invasion, etc, when the biggest threat to their existence probably comes from the right of 500m Europeans to come and settle in their once small, beautiful and peaceful country.
Peaceful because communism was so inefficient at generating things like Walmarts and gas stations and casinos.
Closed borders didn't keep out the outside world.

On America's poor border manners deterring visitors....

There are some fantastically literate contributions attacking the US in the Guardian today. Makes you realise what the country is losing.
On Saturday the Russian ambassador came on to CIF to defend his country's position on its differences with the UK. It was emollient and respectful, talking about Russia's complete non desire for a new cold war. (If he thought he was talking to a population of men-children spoonfed on fear by their russophobic media he didn't show it.)
I suspect we will wait a long time before the ambassador of the leader of the free and democratic world comes out of the London "Green Zone" (Mayfair) and does the same. We're vassals of course. Don't need to be addressed as equals.

Countries do change. The historian Gordon Craig began his epic book on the Germans with descriptions of a placid, peaceful, democratic people, the best eductaed in Europe, provincial, interested only in their own affairs, living in their beautiful, well tended cities, happy to let invasions pass over and pass by. He was quoting a historian decribing the German states in the mid 19th c.

I am not saying the USA is The Third Reich, it's facile and pointless these historical analogies, (like those neocons who have anointed more Hitlers and more Chamberlains than I have had hot dinners)
But countries do change.

In defence of Russia

On the RNT post the new missile shield in Poland is being discussed.

The whole idea is stupid. hat missile shield is not going to stop any Russian nukes, since their stock is huge and there are only like 10 interceptors - they'll get through.
So why is it there. It's not for practical reasons, it's symbolic.
1) To test Russia. In the same way you put your hands on a woman's leg to see if you can further. It seems to me that if Russia acquiesces America can continue to politically encroach on Russia's near abroad. If Russia complains people like the Guardian writer above announce a new cold war.

Russia can't win really.

If you prod bears in their caves with a stick for 15 years they tend to get a bit bad tempered.
Especially since they were attacked in 1700, 1812, 1855, 1914, 1941 - all from the west.
The oligarchs screwed up their economy in the 1990s - with support from the west.

For the record. Russia has never attacked the West.

I partly blame the other east Europeans. They are tails wagging the American dog. There's a strong Polish/Baltic ethnic lobby in the US. Like the Jewish lobby really.
These guys are fanatic nationalists, never lived in the home countries they are cheering for.

Another fuck up for US foreign policy is looming. I just can't believe it. I have known (and loved) Russians.

Leave Russia alone.

Cold war?

Richard Norton Taylor thinks a new arms race is on the cards.
Why is he writing this. There clearly isn't. But does he want one (as a security correspondent looking for reasoins to keep his job needed if the Iraw war winds down.) That would explain why he us trying to bring about a self fulfilling prophesy.
Journalism could not thrive without polarities, conflict, black and white contrasts, fear. Above all fear.
Where conflict doesn't exist, it must be created.
The idea that Russia wants a cold war is complete twaddle.

I have not met a single Russian who wants a cold war.